and thanks for being with us. well, get ready for a drencher, up and down the east coast today, with air delays stretching nationwide. >> it's all because of a powerful storm system, already spawning possible tornadoes and tearing apart trees. we begin coverage, now, with emily schmidt. >> reporter: it's hard to know, looking at all of the rain falling all along the east coast. if people are testing the water. >> first tropical storm i've ever been in. so, it's kind of cool. >> reporter: or is the water testing them? north carolina's governor declared a state of emergency, after wilmington had at lest 18 inches of rain since sunday. 4 months' worth of water in 100 hours. one inch more would top a record set by hurricane floyd a decade ago. for landscape businesses, it's disappointing. >> it just hurts you. it hurts everybody. like four days in the house doing nothing. >> reporter: for others, it's disorienting. >> i normally make my swing around to go to this box over here. to deliver. and i misjudged the payment,